Self-centering side bearing



June 23, 1925. 1,542,836

E. POSSON SELF CSNTERING SIDE BEARING A Filed Spt. 18, 1919 2 Shees-Sheef, 1'

fa/M653' ujdzzdfw? hg M6 CJ i Patented June 23, 1925.v

UNITED STATES j EDWARD rossoN, lor CHICAGO, `ILLINois.

PATENT oFFics.

i SELF-CENTERING SIDE BEARING.

Application filed September 18,1919; :Serial No'. 324,571.

To @ZZ echo/m t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD States residing at citizen ofthe United PossoN, a

cation.

This invention relatesto side bearings for 'railway cars,

and its purpose is to provide an improved device adapted for attachment to a car truck to form an antiefriction bearing for a part carried by the body of the car. The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved roller side bea-ring having roller.'

vide an improved self-centering side A further obj ect. is

ing.

improved means for mounting the y Another important object is to pro `port a substantially yspherical roller 2O bearto provide a side bearing provided with a roller having ballbearing trunnions. Still to provide a casing and a another object is cylindrical roller provided with registering depressions adaptf ed to receive spherical trunnion vmembers which permit relative longitudinal movement of the vroller and the casing.

objects relate to various Other features 'f of construction and arrangement which will be pointed out more fully hereinafter. The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which one embodiment is illustrated In the drawings-f Figure 1 isA a top plan view of the invention showing a portion thereof in horizontall section on the line 1'1 of Fig. 2;y

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the invention showing a portion thereof in `vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

' F ig.v 3 shows a side elevation of the invention 5' and `ig'. 4 is a longitudinali sectional view on the line 1-t of Fig. 1, with lthe cylindrical `roller removed, showing the' side wall in elevation.

The invention comprises a casing ing a lower wall or base the Yinner side of io havplate 11 provided with a plurality of apertures 12 adapted to be engaged by boltsfor securing the casing l other part of the car. Par- 13 are formed integrally to the bolster or allel side walls with and extend upwardly from the base plate 11, and these walls are reinforced against outward bending by the integrally cap members 2,9, the apertures 25- are ed to permit the insertion of spherical ballformed ribs 14 located at the ends thereof.

Other ribs or lugs 15 extend upwardly from the base plate 11 transversely of the casing between the sidewalls 13, and these lugs lare adapted to lform stops for a steel wear .plate 16 which is adapted to rest on the base plate 11., This vwear platev engages longitudinal grooves or guideways 17 whichy are .formed in the side walls'l and extend in-l wardly from.` one fend Aof the casing, as shown particularly. in Fig. 4. After being inserted in` position against the lugs 15, the wear plate is held in position by a transverse key 18 which 'engages apertures 19 in the side walls. The'ends of the key 18 are transversely bent after insertion, as shown yat 18a, toprevent removal ofthe key.

rlhe steel wear plate 16 is adapted to sup which is providedv with bevelled lend -surn faces, as shown at 20, and which isfurther provided at each end with a centrally located circular recess 21 of the form illusdownwardly from the hubs 26 to the base plate 11. The, apertures are normally The outer ends ofthe proclosed by cylindrical plugs or caps 29 which are secured in position by vertically eX- tending rivets orpinsy 30 which pass through the cap members and through the annular walls Vof the hubs 26. Upon removal of the adaptbearings 31 into the chambers which are will be observed that the recesses 22 are vformed'by the registering recesses 21 and 22. Vifhile the recessesg2'1 are circular in form, it

the outer walls of theyrecesses21 and 22'are curved, as shown at 21 and 22, respectively, to conform to the spherical contour ofthe balls 31. The vertical dimension of each recess 22 is less than that of the registering recesses 21 but larger than the diameter of the coacting ball 31, and in normal operation the balls are adapted to rest on the lower curved surfaces 21 and 22a of the registering recesses, as shownin'Fig. 2. The upper walls 22b of the recesses 22 are horizontal, and the lower walls 22c are formed in two parts which converge downwardly toward the center of the recess', as illustrated in Figs. 3 and il, so that the balls' Sl-have' a normal tendency to travel down the inclined walls 22C to the central position illustrated in Fig. t. The opposite walls of the registering depressions are preferably spaced apart distances which are slightly greater than the diameters ot the balls 3l.

When the side bearing, as above constructed, is secured to the bolster or vother' part of the'ca-r truck, for example, the rollers 20 are adapted to coact with wear plates carriedy by the underside ot the car body and upon'- relative movement or' the truck with respect to the body, each roller 20 travels upon its supporting wear plate 16. l'uring this movement, the spherical balls 3l serve to guide the roller 20, and at the same time the balls travel iny the chambers formed by the registering recesses 2l and in order to permit relative movement ot the roller with respect'to the casing, thus permitting a tree movement of the roller and reducing the friction on the side walls of the casing. The balls 3l thus torni movable trunnions for the rollers 20, being adapted to pern'iitv tree endwise movement of the roller and to return the roller automatically to its central position after its release by the engagement therewithNv o1c the wear plate carried by the body of the car. l/Vhen the roller 20 moves toward one end ot the casing, the balls 31 travel up the inclined walls 22C, this movement being permitted by the fact that the recesses 2l' are larger in diameter than the balls 3l, and' this movement of Ythe balls continues until they reach the ends of the recesses 22. lWhen the roller 20 is released, the balls 3l automatically travel by the gravity to their central positions, and

v'thus' return the roller 2Q to its central position. The side bearing is thus automatically self-centering and the mounting of the roller permits some angular movement thereof to correspond to the relative angular move-ment of the truck with respect to the car body. Y

Although l have shown and described a single embodiment of the invention for purposesV of illustiation, it will be understood that it may be constructedin various other -terms Without departing` from the scope of Y the appended claims.

l/Vhat I claim is: l. In. combination, a casing, a roller adapted to travel horizontally within said casing, said roller having apertures in the ends thereof, said casing having apertures adapted to register with said first-named apertures, and balls inserted in said apertures, said balls being` adapted to travel therein divergently from the direction ot travel of said roller and to return said roller to normal position within said easing.

2. In combination, a casing, a roller mounted on saidl casing and having depressions in its ends, said casing having other depressions adapted to register with the depressions in said roller, balls inserted in said registering depressions, and removable plugs in said'casing to permit the insertion of said balls.V Y

3. ln combination, a casing having upwardly extending side walls,.a roller adapted to travell betweensaid walls, said roller having depressions in tie. ends thereof, said side walls having other depressions adapted to register with the depressions in said roller, balls engaging said registering. depressions, said lside walls having apertures therethrough to receive said balls, and cap members normally closing said apertures.

4. In combination, a casing having upwardly extending sidewalls, a cylindrical roller adapted totravel between said side walls, a removable wear plate mounted between saidside walls to support said roller,

saidroller having depressions in the ends thereof, said side walls having depressions to register with the depressions in said roller, and balls engaging said registering depressions, saidV depressions in saidV roller being circular, said depressions in'said side wallsv being elongated longitudinally of said casing.

5. In` combination, aV casing having upwardly extending side walls, a cylindrical roller adapted. to travel between said side walls, a removable wear plate mounted between said side walls tovsupport'said roller, said roller having depressions inthe ends thereof, said side walls having depressions to register with the depressions in said roller, and balls engaging said registering depressions, said depressions in said roller being circular, said depressions in said side walls being elongated longitudinally of said casing, said depressions in said side walls having lower surfaces whichconverge downwardly to effect the automatic return of said ballsto their centrali positions by gravity after said roller has-'been moved in l either direction longitudinally.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

EDWARD rossoN. 

